FREEHOLD – The two men responsible for a 2020 shooting that left a 19-year-old seriously injured in Asbury Park have both admitted to their roles in the crime, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced Friday.
Over the last week, Malik J. Carey, 21, and Zyier M. Small, 20, both of Neptune Township, each pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree Attempted Murder and second-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose in separate hearings before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley.
Sentencing in the case has been scheduled for Friday, April 1, at which time both defendants will face 10 years in state prison, with 85 percent of each term to be served before the possibility of parole.
Shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, members of the Asbury Park Police Department responded to a report of shots being fired at the Asbury Park Village housing complex on Atkins Avenue. Upon arrival, officers found the male victim, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds; he was subsequently transported to a local hospital in critical but stable condition.
An investigation quickly led officers to Carey and Small, who were located not far from the scene and arrested.
The case was resolved with the joint cooperation of members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Asbury Park Police Department’s Detective Bureau (as well as their Street Crimes and Patrol units), the Neptune Township Police Department, and the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.
This case was assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Bogner.